Improvement in letter sheet and envelope combined



R. W. STEVENS. Letter-Sheets and Envelopes Combined.

No. 197,678. y

Patented Nov. 27, |877.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD W. STEVENS, vOF ALTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD HIS RIGHTTO GEORGE R. MOORE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

IMPROVEMENT IN LETTER SHEET AND ENVELOPE COMBINED.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 197,678, dated November27, 1877 application iiled July 19, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD W..STEvENs, of Alton, Madison county,Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in CombinedLetter Sheet and Envelope, of which the following is a full, clear, and'eX- act description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification. v

My improvement consists in a rectangular sheet which is made with twomarginal gummed laps 'and a line of perforations, Ias and for thepurpose set forth.

In the drawings, Figure l isa view of the outer side of the sheet. Theinner side may be plain, or ruled in lines for writing, or may becovered more or less with printed matter. Fig. 2 shows the reverse sideof the letter when sealed up. Fig. 3 shows the sheet after it has beenopened and folded for ling away.

vAt a is shown that face of the letter upon which come the address aland return-card a2. At bis shown the reverse side or back, which mayserve to display a printed card, as

shown, or be left blank. c d c f are portions of the sheet, separatedfrom each other by folds g when the letter is folded up as shown in Fig.2. h is a line'of perforations, which supplies'means for readily tearingthe paper along that linewhich is done the last thing before folding.

The face a carries the address. The part b is the back, and to it thelaps i j are secured when the letter is folded up.` The back or part bis cut out at b, and cut away at the corner b2, to allow the iiap totake hold of the part d and prevent it from being drawn out when theletter is folded and sealed.

The letter may be written wholly upon the inner side, (which is notshown,) or a part or all of it may be written upon the faces or parts cd ef, as shown.

When the letter has been written the sheet is rent along the line h;then the parts d fare folded back against the backs of the parts c c;

vthen the parts e f are folded up against the face of d, andvall four (cd e f) folded up against the back of a; then the part bis folded backagainst these parts, to form the back of In order to file away theletter it is folded together twice, so as lto have four thicknesses,

as clearly indicated in Fig. 3, and the returncard azeserves as adistinguishing mark at its upper end, indicating the name of the Writer.

It will be understood that the sheet forms a legal document, all partsbeing attached together, and none of the postmarks or other matter atall defaced.`

Time is saved in addressing the letter, as a single address (on part a)answers for the mailaddress and the heading of the letter.

Facility in handling; and no unusual folding is required from the commonsheet now in use, as a single piece of paper answers for the letter andenvelope.

In this connection it may be mentioned that it prevents the inclosing ofa letter in a wrong envelope, or misdirecting after Writing letter,which is an accident that is not uncommon, and at times has Very badresults, and always causes delay.

The single sheet is cheaper at first cost than a sheet and envelope.

The letter cannot be opened and reclosed I without showing it, as may bedone with the common envelope.

The sheet is well adapted to form a perfect envelope, by sealing the lapt' to the lap b before closing the Hap j, as the four folds c d ef, whenmade and folded against the back of the envelope-face, and covered bythe back b, and secured by lap c', will be found to form a complete andperfectly square envelope-pocket the size of face a within thefold-lines g g.

It will be seen that the entire surface of the sheet is used, andcarries the address, so that the said sheet may be copied in aletter-press copy-book Without the gummed laps j coming of perforations,and gap b* b2 at the margin, in contact With moisture, as the laps are1osubstantially as and for the purpose set forth.

cated outside the book in copying. RICHARD W. STEVENS.

I claim as my invention- 1n presence of J l. The sheet provided withlaps ij and line C. B. SEBASTIAN,

h of perforattions, substantially as set forth. J. TESGH, t 2. The sheetprovided with laps 13 j, line h W. B. KELLIHER.

